Tissue Transplantation and Medical Indications

Tissue donation includes bone, tendons, cartilage, connective tissue, skin, corneas, sclera, heart for valves, and vessels. These grafts are used for a variety of surgical applications. A tissue transplant in hospitals, day surgery centers, and dental offices occurs nearly every day. These surgeries often are not adequately appreciated as life changing, life enhancing, and in the case of skin for burn patients even life-saving events which are donor dependent. The following table illustrates some of the multiple clinical applications of allograft tissue.